The Politics of Aid: Uncoloured World Vision

World Vision claims to be neutral or 'apolitical'. The following pieces of information would suggest otherwise:

- While in the last few years many South Korean Christians have been harrassed and even interned by their government, the South Korean government issued a commemorative stamp in 1973 honouring World Vision (Los Angeles Times, Jan 22, 1975).

- Recently World Vision has approved a project with war refugees in Mindanao, the Phillipines, The situation in Mindaneo is complex; and Muslem insurgents are now demanding certain rights from the pro-American Christian government. In such a situation, how will a highly evangelical Christian organisation fare and whose interests will be best served by aid from overtly Christian organisations: the central government's or the Moslems'? We feel the answer is obvious, especially as the World Vision RO Project Proposal has stated that the Phillipino Government is doing everything possible to assist the evacuees, and World Vision relief organisation (Phillipine) would like to help."

The difficulties of operating non-politically in a war zone are immense. Our investigation of World Vision operations in Indochina lead us to doubt whether World Vision will fare any better in the Phillipines. The above examples suggests a close relationship with the government is being developed.

- World Vision has been criticised on similar grounds by the Presbyterian International Affairs Committee. A report adopted by the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1973 pointed out that "too close a relation to right wing regimes means that the agency is less efective in dealing at local levels."

- The argument is further supported by an article in the Nation Review (September 21 - 27) entitled "Visionaries Who Look Back". The article claims that World Vision has two subsidiary companies, Asian Information Service (AIS) which provides "special information on mainland China" (World Vision Magazine) and Missions Advanced Research Communications Centre (MARC) which provides "computer based information and research data to churches and missions worldwide", (obtained from World Vision's pamphlet "A Look at World Vision".)

World Vision founder. Bob Pierce is reported to have described the computer system as one that "diagnoses the failures of Christianity and prints them on a data sheet." (Los Angeles Times Jan 22, 1975)

The Director of AIS, Robert Larson, provides information on mainland China for World Vision's quarterly magazine from his base in Hong Kong. One of his articles, "Chinese Youth Vs Mao" (World Vision, Autumn, 1973) contains this quotation.

"So in a very real sense, when Mao Tse Tung talks about the People's Republic, he is encouraging people to share in the poverty, not the wealth."

His attack is not limited to economics. His article "Mao and Jesus", (World Vision. Autumn, 1973) contends that:

"Mao preaches a message of continual revolution by violence......and today not even the ageing Chairman, with all power, propaganda and persuasion at his command, can stand against what God is doing in China."